Category Archives: Torpedo

Aging Room Quattro F55

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Quickie Reviews are snapshots of cigars. These reviews are a great reference if you just want a general feel for a cigar instead of an in-depth discussion of all its characteristics. Basically, they tell the CliffsNotes version of a cigar’s story.

F55

-Wrapper – 9 year aged Sumatra 2003
-Binder – Dominican
-Filler – Dominican
-Size – Maestro 6 x 52 (torpedo)
-Price – around $9

Takeaway
The wrapper on this cigar is pressed perfectly smooth with slight veining. The milk chocolate color has some mottling, and overall looks absolutely gorgeous. The cold draw is sweet with a little earthy taste. Box pressed torpedoes are one of my favorite vitolas, and these cigars have a little give to them when squeezed.

The first few puffs are chocolate bliss. The cigar then develops a woodsy core surrounded by light spice. The draw on this torpedo is just about perfect, not too loose and not too tight. For a cigar with rich flavors, the smoke is surprisingly light bodied. About an inch in a bright note starts to shine through that I haven’t noticed in the robusto size. It isn’t a citrus flavor, but more of a bright nuttiness.

By the second third the spice has dropped off considerably. The smoke is gradually gaining body and the flavors are getting deeper. A touch of harshness has developed, so I’m going to slow down my cadence. This could also be due to numerous touchups, which wasn’t necessary on the other F55s I’ve smoked.

A sweetness has crept back in at the start of the last third. Cocoa is present again, which is a nice way to finish as the second third was pretty static.

Flavor – Full
Strength – Medium
Body – Medium
Construction – Good

Rating 3.5 – Great cigar, but at close to $14 in the Montana market it might be a little overpriced.

Blind Reviews Part 8

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Over at the Half Ashed forums we have a little “cigar pass” going on. Each person involved sends two unbanded cigars to another person in the “Blind Review Pass.” For the next few weeks I’ll be posting (with permission) those blind reviews. If you have never smoked a cigar blind, or unbanded, I would highly recommend it. Get some friends together and trade cigars with the bands removed, or have your wife take some bands off a few sticks in the bottom of your humidor. You’ll be surprised at how much a band can affect your perception of a cigar.

Today’s review is Kenhorne21. This is the first (and hardest) of two cigars that I sent to my fellow forum friend.

It was a box press torpedo I’m guessing 6 x 50/52 range

Dry draw was a little earthy and some subtle sweetness

Lit her up and had some background flavors of cocoa sweetness and some earth that was drying on the front of my pallete, also some red pepper through the retrohale. I immediately was thinking there must be some Honduran in this thing, but that changed about halfway through. Initially I thought Honduran and Nicaraguan filler with a habano wrapper. But the sweetness came and stayed halfway through and the pepper subsided through the retro hale. The second half was better than the first and the drying of the pallete subsided as well. Hmmm, now I was thinking maybe a Sumatra wrapper with nica filler. Ugh. But the cigar finished well and I’m not totally sure I can nail the exact stick but I definately think it was predominately Nicaraguan. Wrapper was either Sumatra or habano. I would lean Sumatra. I have definately not had this cigar

The burn needed some touch ups and the mascara line was on the thicker side so I would guess not a lot of aged tobacco. I haven’t smoked hardly any box press torpedoes other than padrons.

Thank you Ian. I’m a little puzzled and don’t have an exact guess.

The Reveal
Nice review!! You nailed the Nicaraguan aspect, and I also find the smoke a bit drying. Funny thing, I smoked the same cigar this week an posted it in the CotD thread! This was the harder of the two, a good smoke from a small company. That was the Córdoba and Morales Family Reserve. Nica binder and filler, Ecuador wrapper.

Cordoba and Morales Family Reserve